Queen of Books

Sunday, 20 October 2019

SEPTEMBER '19 WRAP-UP

Time for another wrap up!

September wasn't too busy besides the fact that I started my first part-time job which takes some getting used to.

I only read six books this month but I enjoyed all of them and even had a five star read! I am working on getting back into blogging, but I am focusing more of my time on writing my novel especially since nanowrimo is fast approaching.

Anyways...

Time to talk about the books I read this month.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

The first book I read was Stain by A.G. Howard. Stain is about Lyra who is a princess incapable of speech or sound and is cast out of her kingdom by her wicked aunt. A witch takes her in and raises her in an enchanted forest where she is disguised as a boy known as Stain. In the rival kingdom, the prince is dying and the only person who can save him is Lyra as she is his true equal. It took me awhile to get into this book as it is a little slow at the beginning and a little confusing, however once i got through the first couple of chapters, I ended up really loving this one. I really enjoyed both Lyra and the prince who's name was Vesper and I loved the dark setting. It is supposed to be a retelling of The Princess and the Pea but there are elements of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella mixed in with it. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The second book I read was Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim. This was described as Mulan meets Project Runway which is such an accurate description for this book. It's about Maia who dreams of being the greatest tailor in the world, however since she's a girl she is sure that it will never happen. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father to court, Maia takes his place by posing as a boy. She knows she will be killed if her secret is discovered but she takes the risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. Maia ends up being one of twelve tailors vying for the job as court tailor which she did not know. She has to engage in a competition with the other tailors in order to get the coveted spot. She is sure that it won't be that complicated but boy is she wrong. I really enjoyed Maia as well as Edan who was the court magician as well as her love interest. I am probably going to write a full review but I ended up rating this one 4 Crowns.

The third book I read was Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen. This is a book that I've had on my shelf for a long time and I never picked it up until now. Stolen Songbird is about Cecile who is an aspiring opera singer until she is kidnapped by a former friend and taken beneath the mountain to be sold to the trolls in exchange for gold. She is then forced to bond/marry Prince Tristan to fulfill a prophecy to break a centuries old curse cast upon the trolls which has prevented them from ever coming back to the human realm. Cecile gets caught up in a revolution brewing between the trolls in servitude and the aristocracy. She is also trying to prove her usefulness and protect Prince Tristan from his father who grows tired of her not fulfilling her duty. I loved this book. The characters were so interesting and the story was so unique. I loved how we got to see trolls who are not ugly creatures on the outside but are complex, powerful, clever, ruthless and sometimes beautiful. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The fourth book I read was Circe by Madeline Miller. Circe is a book that I have been hearing so much about and though I've never read her previous books, I knew I had to try this one. I really enjoyed this one as I liked how Madeline Miller transformed the greek myths and epics to suit her own story with a badass female lead. Circe is a character that isn't explored much in greek mythology, apart from usually being the villain, however in this story we get to see her character in a different light. From the beginning she is shown to be a brilliant, clever woman. I don't want to say much because it would spoil a lot of the book but I loved Circe's character and her relationship with others. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The fifth book I read was The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. I have recently been getting into adult romantic comedies and I love them. This one is about Olive who believes she is unlucky in everything while her twin sister has things handed to her. When her sister and her new husband get food poisoning (along with the rest of the wedding party/guests), she insists that Olive goes on her all expenses paid honeymoon. Olive agrees but she is mad when she finds out she has to go with her sister's husband's brother, Ethan, aka the person that Olive has had a rivalry with since they met. They agree to go together as long as they don't see each other for most of the vacation, however Olive runs into her new boss while in Hawaii and has to pretend that Ethan is her husband which forces the two of them to spend time together. I thought this was such a hilarious and cute romantic comedy and I love the fake dating trope. I think this has shot up to be one of my favorite books of the year. I rated it 5 Crowns!

The sixth book I read was Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev. Pride and Prejudice is probably my favorite classic and this one is a retelling of that book. This is about Dr. Trisha Raje who is San Francisco's most acclaimed neurosurgeon but her influential immigrant family think that's not enough. The Rajes have three non-negotiable rules: never trust an outsider, never do anything to jeopardize your brother's political aspirations and never defy your family. Unfortunately, Trisha is guilty of breaking all three of these rules but now she has a chance to redeem herself. Enter up-and-coming chef DJ Caine who has known people like Trisha before. He needs the job that the Rajes offer but he values his pride too much to indulge Trisha's arrogance and then he discovers that she's the only surgeon who can save his sister's life. I loved this book especially since it's kind of a gender swapped Pride and Prejudice story. Trisha is the Mr. Darcy character (though DJ Caine's real name is Darcy) and DJ is the Lizzie character. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

AUDIOBOOKS READ

NONE THIS MONTH

ARC'S READ

NONE

REVIEWS IN JUNE + JULY + AUGUST:

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal Book Review

WEEKLY WRAP-UP:

9/9 - 9/15

9/16 - 9/29

DISCUSSIONS/OTHER:

Summer Bookish Bingo Wrap-Up '19

Anticipated Releases for the Rest of 2019!

FAVORITE COVER OF THE MONTH:

NEW FICTIONAL BAE'S:

Vesper from Stain by A.G. Howard

Edan from Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Tristan from Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

Ethan from The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

NEW FAVORITE FEMALES:

Lyra from Stain by A.G. Howard

Maia from Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Cecile from Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

Circe from Circe by Madeline Miller

Olive from The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Trisha from Pride and Prejudice and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev

NEW FAVORITE BOOK RELATIONSHIPS:

Lyra and Vesper from Stain by A.G. Howard

Edan and Maia from Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Tristan and Cecile from Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

Olive and Ethan from The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

TV SHOWS I WATCHED THIS MONTH:

MOVIES I WATCHED THIS MONTH:

WHAT BOOKS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH:

There's so many more but these are the main ones!

NEW BLOG FINDS

NONE

SONGS ON REPEAT

I Warned Myself - Charlie Puth

Kill My Mind - Louis Tomlinson

Descendants 3 Soundtrack - Descendants 3 Cast

Princesses Don't Cry - Aviva

Mr. Sandman - SYML

Speechless - Naomi Scott

Don't Call Me Angel - Ariana Grande, Lana del Rey and Miley Cyrus

Fingerprints - Kita Klane

Looking at Me - Sabrina Carpenter

Fake ID - Big & Rich

Mother's Daughter - Miley Cyrus

Angry Too - Lola Blanc

BOOKS I WANT TO READ NEXT MONTH

The graphics at the top belong to me. The background pictures for them, however do not.

Saturday, 19 October 2019

The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen Book Review

This is a spoiler free review.

The Merciful Crow
Written by Margaret Owen

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy

Publisher: Henry Holt

Release Date: July 30, 2019

Pages: 384
Source: Library Hardcover

Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository

Recommended Age: 13 and up!

Summary:

A future chieftain.

Fie abides by one rule: look after your own. Her Crow caste of undertakers and mercy-killers takes more abuse than coin, but when they’re called to collect royal dead, she’s hoping they’ll find the payout of a lifetime.

A fugitive prince.

When Crown Prince Jasimir turns out to have faked his death, Fie’s ready to cut her losses—and perhaps his throat. But he offers a wager that she can’t refuse: protect him from a ruthless queen, and he’ll protect the Crows when he reigns.

A too-cunning bodyguard.

Hawk warrior Tavin has always put Jas’s life before his, magically assuming the prince’s appearance and shadowing his every step. But what happens when Tavin begins to want something to call his own

(Summary from Goodreads)

Review:

The Merciful Crow was a story that you can't get out of your head, even long after you've put it down. It's an intriguing read about a world afflicted with prejudice and people who are fighting to end it.

COVER

The cover and the title are what originally made me want to read this book. I like how the cover doesn't show the face or the front of any of the characters as well as doesn't show a lot of the setting, which allowed me to imagine a lot of it.

WORLD-BUILDING

The Merciful Crow had fantastic world building. Margaret Owen gave us a great picture of the society, culture, places and people. I really liked seeing the magic that was threaded within the story and how the different types of people used it.

The people were split into twelve castes and each one had a birthright gifted to them by their gods. Each caste was named after a bird such as the Phoenix caste (which is the royalty caste) has the birthright of fire. However, the lowest caste - the Crows - were born with no birthright and were treated horribly by others. They are hunted and abused by people called the Oleander gentry and shunned in every place they go. Crows are the only people who are immune to a disease called the Sinners' Plague which is impossible to survive and the Crows are necessary as people to mercy kill those ill and to safely dispose of the bodies.

Then there are the characters.

FIE

Fie is a crow as well as a future chieftan. She is a very strong-minded protagonist and goes through incredible development. At the beginning, she is shown to be very stubborn and relentless. When she meets the prince and his bodyguard, she wants to leave them to die because she doesn't think they care one bit about the crows. She isn't a damsel or a damsel in distress and she always puts her loyalty to her family and tribe first. Her harshness is used as a strength and she is filled with rage. It was nice to see that though all her qualities at the beginning of the book remained, by the end of the book other qualities begun to join them. Fie was a very independent and strong character who knew she didn't have to depend on anyone.

TAVIN

Tavin is the prince's bodyguard and body double, and a part of a caste known as Hawks. He is very charmingly enigmatic but also vulnerable. I liked him from the moment we were introduced to him, but his motivations were a little blurry and unknown. He was very loyal to Jasimir but also wanted a life of his own which he didn't really have as a body double. I really liked how he also changed over the course of the book, but kept most of his initial qualities.

JASIMIR

Jasimir is the prince who is heir to the throne, but is worried that he won't get to be king due to his father's wife's evil intentions. He is a little harder to love at first because he is very disconnected from his people and very pompous. However, spending time with Fie changes him so much for the better. He learns about the Crow caste and everything they have to go through and realizes that he has to become king in order to do something about it. I really liked his character development and it makes you like him a lot more than at the beginning.

FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY

Fie's family is her tribe which consists of her adoptive father who is also the chieftan. Fie feels an extreme sense of loyalty towards her tribe and believes that family always comes first. She protects her family throughout the book and always makes it clear how much she cares about them.

I also really liked the hate-to-friends relationship that was developed between Jasimir and Fie. I loved seeing them interact and liked how their relationship changed over the course of the book.

PLOT

The Merciful Crow is about Fie who lives in a world that is broken down into castes. She belongs to the Crows who's only rule is to look after their own, while serving as undertakers and offering mercy killings to members of other castes affected by a horrible plague. They are called out to collect a dead royal, and she is expecting a big payday, until it turns out that Prince Jasimir and his bodyguard have faked their deaths in an effort to prevent his kingdom from being taken over by a vicious queen. Fie offers the prince protection in his mission to save his kingdom, if he'll provide protection for the Crow caste when he ascends to the throne. Meanwhile, his bodyguard Tavin starts to question whether he wants to shadow and protect Prince Jasimir forever. The trio has to work together in order to save the kingdom, however they might end up betraying each other first.Margaret Owen also tackles a lot of issues in this book such as prejudice. I thought this plot was very original as was the entire world that Margaret Owen has created and I really enjoyed it.

ROMANCE

The romance is a very slow-burn one and certainly doesn't take over the plot. I really liked how it is developed naturally. There is a respect between the two characters and nothing is forced. However, the romance is affected by the social systems in play as one is part of a more privileged cast than the other. It's almost an enemies to lovers romance which is one of my favorites and I didn't think it was too fast paced or forced.

WRITING

I really liked Margaret Owen's writing and how immersive she makes the world. I was hooked from the very first line and I loved how fast-paced the story was. I also loved how she didn't dump all the world-building and information on us at once and that we got to learn about it throughout the book.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Merciful Crow is an immersive and fast-paced novel. It's full of betrayal, backstabbing, romance and adventure to keep the readers engaged. It's a great addition to the young adult genre and I can't wait to see what the sequel will hold.

Quotes from the Book:

None Yet

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Crowns

Sunday, 13 October 2019

Weekly Recap: 9/30 - 10/13

Weekly recap is where I update you on my life, reading and watching. Plus any posts I have done or will do.

I might make these recaps biweekly instead of every week. Fall TV shows are back and honestly I am not ready to watch Riverdale and Legacies again each week.

Now, let's get into recapping.

New Books

Purchased:

Library:

Received for Review:

Sunday, 6 October 2019

SUMMER '19 WRAP-UP

Time for another wrap up!

This summer seemed to go by very quickly. I hung out with friends a lot as well as went to California for a couple of weeks to visit my grandparents and go to Disneyland!

I read a lot of books this month and got a good chunk of my novel done which I hope to finish by the end of this year. Wish me luck!

Anyways...

Time to talk about the books I read this month.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

The first book I read was A Study in Death by Anna Lee Huber. This is the fourth book in the Lady Darby mystery series and I've enjoyed every single one of them so far. I love reading about a female detective especially in a time where females weren't supposed to be doing that sort of thing. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The second book I read was The Sun is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon. I read this book because I wanted to see the movie. I enjoyed the book more than I thought I would as I didn't enjoy her other book: Everything, Everything. I really liked the story even if it was a little improbable and I rated it 4 Crowns.

The third book I read was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I had heard so many good things about this book which made me really want to read it. I read it in one sitting because my copy that I had gotten from the library had holds on it. I really enjoyed it. I loved how it was written in flashbacks and it was so interesting and fully kept my attention. I rated this one 4.5 Crowns.

The fourth book I read was Beyond A Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake. This book was one I've seen all over and never bothered to read it until now. I really liked the setting which reminded me a lot of Sky in the Deep and I loved the characters. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The fifth book I read was The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. I read this one right after I watched the movie, which I loved. I ended up really enjoying the book as it went a lot deeper into the plot and the character's lives. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The sixth book I read was Enchantee by Gita Trelease. This book reminded me a lot of Glitter by Aprilynne Pike. This was about a girl who uses magic to transform herself into a baroness in order to go to the Palace of Versailles to play cards with royals and earn money to buy medicine and food for her and her sister. I loved how glamorous this book was and I rated it 4 Crowns.

The seventh book I read was Murder at Westminster Abbey by Amanda Carmack. This is the second book in the Elizabethan Mysteries which is set in Elizabethan England. I really like the main character who solves these mysteries and I like how each one is different and yet there are always some small continuities from the previous books. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The eighth book I read was Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly. Stepsister is a different sort of Cinderella retelling, in that, it is set after Cinderella gets married and from the point of view of one of the stepsisters. Isabelle isn't a beauty like her stepsister, Cinderella. Instead, she's a fiesty girl in a world which wants women to be compliant and beautiful. Isabelle gets a chance to alter her destiny and prove that she isn't broken. I loved Isabelle and I ended up rating this one 4 Crowns.

The ninth book I read was Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean. I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. This is an Asian inspired fantasy about a girl named Mari who is a type of yokai who woos men into marriage and then runs off with their fortune. Her family doesn't think she's pretty enough as she doesn't fit the slim, and gorgeous mold so she takes up fighting in order to prove her usefulness. Mari gets entered into the contest to win the princes' hand because of this and that's where the story really takes off. I enjoyed the main character a lot and I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The tenth book I read was The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston. Geekerella was such a unique young adult contemporary and I am so excited that Ashley Poston decided to write a sequel/companion to it. I rated this one 5 Crowns.

The eleventh book I read was Kingsbane by Claire Legrand. This is the sequel to Furyborn so I can't say much without giving a lot away, but I really liked how the story progressed and how much more we learned about the characters. I rated it 5 Crowns.

The twelfth book I read was Sherwood by Meagan Spooner. I put off reading this for awhile because it was so long. I love Megan Spooner's other retelling: Hunted, and I was excited to see what she was going to do with the Robin Hood fairytale and I really liked how she did it. I rated it 4 Crowns.

The thirteenth book I read was Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson. Dance of Thieves is in the same universe as The Remnant Chronicles series with some of the characters from that series making cameos. This one is more romance heavy while The Remnant Chronicles had a lot more about the political situation. This is about Kazi, who is a former street thief and a current member of Queen Lia of Venda's Rahtan who is sent to locate General Illarium, who is responsible for the deaths of some of Lia's family members. She goes to Hell's Mouth which is under the control of the Ballenger family, and meets Jase, the new Petrei (aka leader) of the family. He is literally abducted and shackled to Kazi by labour traders and then the plot takes off. It is really good and I rated it 5 Crowns.

The fourteenth book I read was Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett. This author's books are very good YA Contemporaries though I was a little iffy about this one because I had a hard time getting into it. I did like how the two main characters were very different from many other characters you'd find in young adult contemporaries. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The fifteenth book I read was Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken. This is the second book in The Darkest Minds series. I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first book in the series but I still rated it 4 Crowns. I am not going to say much because of spoilers but I'm really enjoying this series so far.

The sixteenth book I read was As Death Draws Near by Anna Lee Huber. This is the fifth book in the Lady Darby series and I really like seeing how this series progresses. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The seventeenth book I read was The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. This is by far one of my new favorite books. Adult rom-com books are one of my new favorite things. This is also going to be a movie staring Lucy Hale which is so exciting! I loved both Lucy and Josh and I am definitely going to write a review of it. I rated this one 5 Crowns.

The eighteenth book I read was Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan. I saw this book on the shelf at the library and I thought it looked cute and fun which it really was. Lou wants to have the best summer ever however her job as a dancing hot dog at the Magic Castle Playland theme park, might get in the way of that. Her crush has a girlfriend, and her best friend isn't up to Lou's quest to set her up with the perfect girl even though she's always up for it. And this is their last summer with the Magic Castle Playland unless she can find a way to keep it open. I really enjoyed this one and rated it 4 Crowns.

The ninteenth book I read was Bright Burning Stars by A.K. Small. Ballet books are always a hit or miss with me because they usually involve female characters trying to up each other. This one was pretty similar and I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped. I ended up rating it 3 Crowns.

The twentieth book I read was Fake It Till You Break It by Jenn P. Nguyen. Summer is a time for contemporaries and this one was such a cute new addition to the genre. I loved this one. Mia and Jake have known each other their whole lives and their parents keep trying to get them together even though they can't stand each other. After Mia's mom turns away another boy, Mia and Jake decide they've had enough and they decide to pretend to date and then stage a horrible breakup, however they soon realize that they don't hate each other as much as they thought. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The twenty-first book I read was Killing November by Adriana Mather. November is sent to a boarding school completely off the grid, hidden by a forest and the classes are very different from normal classes like knife-throwing, poisons and historical analysis. All the children who attend it are the children of the world's most elite strategists who are training to become assassins, spies and master impersonators. November knows nothing about this world and discovers that friends are very few. When a student is murdered, people start to blame November and she has to find out who the killer is before she becomes a victim. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The twenty-second book I read was Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen. I love YA pirate novels and I knew I had to read this one. Dark Shores is about second mate, Teriana who embarks on a forbidden mission to the West in order to save her family and people. She has to work with Marcus, a commander of the thirty-seventh legion, who's reputation of never surrending, immediately sets them at odds. I loved this book and how much high stakes adventure it had. I rated it 5 Crowns.

The twenty-third book I read was Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia Macneal. I've really been getting into Adult Mysteries lately and this one was an interesting one. I like ones about females and this one was set in the 1940s. I ended up rating it 4 Crowns.

The twenty-fourth book I read was There's Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon. Sandhya Menon's YA contemporaries are full of hilarity and cuteness. I loved this new addition to her Dimple and Rishi series. It's about a boy who recently got dumped by his girlfriend and his parents insist that they can set him up with a better match. He meets Sweetie, who is a formidable track athlete and is fat which her mom is constantly getting on her back about and she's fed up about it so she decides to show the world and her parents what she really is all about. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The twenty-fifth book I read was Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins. Ever since I read Royals by Rachel Hawkins, I knew I had to read the next book in the series. I loved this book, the plot and the characters and I ended up rating it 5 Crowns. I do hope to write a full review of this one sometime soon.

The twenty-sixth book I read was Nocturna by Maya Motayne. I was a little bit iffy about this book but when I ended up sitting down and reading it, I really enjoyed it. This is about a girl who is a thief that can change her appearance, and a prince who have to team up in order to take down an evil threatening the kingdom. It was set in a Latinex-inspired world and I ended up rating it 4 Crowns.

The twenty-seventh book I read was Wicked Fox by Kat Cho. A lot of people who read this one were disappointed with it which made me a little bit scared to read it, however I knew I had to try it for myself. I ended up enjoying it. I rated it 4 Crowns.

The twenty-eighth book I read was We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal. I heard so many mixed reviews about this but I really wanted to read it. I wrote a full review of this book which you can find here. I rated it 5 Crowns.

The last book I read was Suspicion by Alexandra Monir. I bought this book a few years ago for my sister and I finally got around to reading it myself. I also recently watched the Alfred Hitchcock movie, Rebecca, which this book is based on. This book is about Imogen Rockford who is an heir to her family's estate, however she never expects to actually have to run it. When she is seventeen, she is summoned back to Rockford Manor and learns that there are secrets that lurk behind Rockford's aristocratic manor. It is super atmospheric and spooky and I ended up rating it 4 Crowns.

AUDIOBOOKS READ

The only audiobook that I listened to this summer was Caraval by Stephanie Garber. I've listened to this several times already and I loved it just as much as every other time. The narration is perfect and really brings the characters to life. I rated it 5 Crowns.

ARC'S READ

NONE

REVIEWS IN JUNE + JULY + AUGUST:

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco Audiobook Review

The Hummingbird Dagger by Cindy Anstey Book Review

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead Book Review

Immunity by Erin Bowman Book Review/Tour

WEEKLY WRAP-UP:

5/27 - 6/2

6/3 - 6/9

6/10 - 6/16

DISCUSSIONS/OTHER:

Summer Bookish Bingo '19 TBR

May '19 Wrap-Up

FAVORITE COVER OF THE MONTH:

NEW FICTIONAL BAE'S:

Leif from Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake

Liam from The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Lazare from Enchantee by Gita Trelease

Simon from Kingsbane by Claire Legrand

Jase from Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson

Joshua from The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Marcus from Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen

Alfehr from Nocturna by Maya Motayne

Nasir from We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

NEW FAVORITE FEMALES:

Ciara from Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake

Ruby from The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Camille from Enchantee by Gita Trelease

Isabelle from Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

Mari from Empress of all Seasons by Emiko Jean

Imogen from The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

Jessica from The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

Eliana from Kingsbane by Claire Legrand

Kazi from Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson

Lucy from The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Mia from Fake It Till You Break It by Jenn P. Nguyen

Teriana from Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen

Millie from Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins

Finn from Nocturna by Maya Motayne

Miyoung from Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

Zafira from We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

NEW FAVORITE BOOK RELATIONSHIPS:

Ciara and Leif from Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake

Lazare and Camille from Enchantee by Gita Trelease

Simon and Eliana from Kingsbane by Claire Legrand

Jase and Kazi from Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson

Lucy and Joshua from The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Lou and Seely from Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan

Mia and Jake from Fake It Till You Break It by Jenn P. Nguyen

Marcus and Teriana from Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen

Millie and Flora from Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins

Zafira and Nasir from We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

TV SHOWS I WATCHED THIS MONTH: